On 26 January 1990 Comhairle na nOspidéal adopted the report of the committee on neurosurgical services in Dublin. This report recommended that all neurosurgical activity currently taking place at Beaumont Hospital and St. Vincent's Hospital should be centralised at Beaumont Hospital where one of the most modern neurosurgical facilities in Europe is available. I accepted the recommendations in the report and arrangements were made for the transfer of the neurosurgical service, including two consultant neurosurgeon posts, from St. Vincent's Hospital to Beaumont Hospital. Such a transfer of course involved a certain amount of planning and expenditure and I am now happy to say that all arrangements for the transfer of services have been agreed.
In line with these arrangements I have recently invited Beaumont Hospital to submit their proposals for a sixth neurosurgeon post to replace the remaining post formerly held at St. Vincent's Hospital. It is also the intention of Beaumont Hospital to seek applications for the vacant post with a special interest in paediatric neurosurgery.
These steps should have the effect of further improving the excellent neurosurgical service already provided at the hospital.
Letters have been written to those patients who were on the St. Vincent's neurosurgical waiting list to inform them that the service has transferred to Beaumont Hospital and advising them to contact the hospital in order to be rescheduled on the revised Beaumont waiting list.
The consultant concerned is in the process of drawing up priorities for treatment based on medical need and taking into account such matters as: (a) whether the patient still requires the service and/or (b) up to date information on the patient's condition which has been provided by the patient's doctor.
